Plains Dampened, Not Drenched

Heavy rain fell today on part of the drought-ravaged northern Plains, but the road-buckling heat wave gave it little chance of soaking in deeply, and farmers with withered pastures turned to “hay hot lines” to find cattle feed.

Thunderstorms over northwestern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota dumped as much as 1.7 inches of rain in spots, not enough to overcome the rain deficit. Wind up to 50 m.p.h. cut power to 10,000 customers in Brainerd, Minn., for several hours. Parts of Ohio got up to a half-inch of rain in a surprise thunderstorm.